Every time I review an Usagi Yojimbo book, I say the same things: strong storytelling; bold artwork; vivid characters. The Hell Screen is no different, since Sakai is still a natural at all of those things. His established characters ring true and honest, and his newly-introduced ones, while less developed, are drawn well enough to serve their purpose in the stories.

The theme of this volume seems to be rain, as the stories all take place during thunderstorms. The first two stories have an overlap I haven’t seen in Sakai’s stories before, where they diverge in the midpoint of the first one. The second story begins at that divergence, which felt odd (as near as I can recall, Sakai has never gone back in his timeline, though he’s used flashbacks before), but it made sense once I understood what he was doing.

I say this every time I review an Usagi Yojimbo book, but if you haven’t yet read these books, you should. They have appeal for all readers of all ages, and the storytelling is so good that it’s a shame not to experience it. You have a long way to go to catch up (this is volume 31!), but it’s worth it.

"'I daresay you haven't had much practice,' said the Queen. 'When I was younger, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.'"